


The Other Side

by CyndaKiwi



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Hydra, Mutants, Other, SHIELD, Sneaky plot twists, Takes place during caws, WIP, We actually have an idea/established relationship planned, superhuman reader, will tag as I go, yay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-05-25 00:25:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6172708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyndaKiwi/pseuds/CyndaKiwi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You're Alexander Pierce's daughter, a sheltered mutant who is afraid of her own powers that have caused so much trouble. But when your world is turned upside down, who will you trust?</p><p>(I suck at summaries. Work in progress.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> This is the intro! I haven't edited it very well, so please excuse any mistakes. Enjoy!

White wallpaper with dark oak floors inside a mansion. The whole thing looked like it belonged to some rich man with an expensive taste in design. It was as though the minute someone would set a dirty foot inside, the entire staff would run in a frenzy to clean it up. 

If the house was a dollhouse, it would be the kind to sit on a shelf for years, the only contact allowed would be the occasional feather duster. It was as though the pristine mansion was uninhabitable by anything less than the richest people.

But on the third floor, there was living proof to counter that idea. A girl, only just having turned twenty, stared out the window. She knew every neatly trimmed hedge and symmetrical stone path like the back of her hand. She rarely got to see them up close though.

She hadn't been allowed outside since the fateful day twelve years ago. Tragedy had struck fear into everyone's heart, especially the girl's father. It was a massive scandal that led to her isolation in the Pierce manor, and her entire existence was wiped from every available record.

The event being the only time she had been into her fathers top scientists lab. She had walked in there in confusion and ended up stumbling out in fear with someone else's blood on her hands and a wound that would never heal. Ever since, the girl had been locked away and shunned as an outcast among her own family.

Even now, the guilt still haunted her like a sickness and never really went away.

She sighed and pressed her palm to the cool glass, trying to control the feelings that threatened to spiral out of control and consume her. 

"Just count to three, (Y/n)." She murmured under her breath, closing her eyes before mentally counting to herself. She took a deep breath and tried to force her feelings down. Even with all the practice she had, a small cloud of blue ice still formed around her. She quickly retracted her hand from the glass the minute she realized a thick layer of frost covered the glass, forming a delicate pattern stemming from the hand-shaped mark.

In her haste, she knocked over a vase. Before it could hit the ground, she reached for it with her hand. A blast of ice froze the vase and caused frost to spread across the floor in jagged patterns. 

The girl fell backwards and scrambled away from the ice, her hands glowing blue. Each time her hand came into contact with the floor, a new blossom of frost coated the oak floor until it reached the walls and climbed with glee.

"Miss (Y/n)? Master Pierce has arrived and requests for your presence in the great hall immediately." A maid said from the other side of the heavy wooden door before scurrying off. The staff always ran off and avoided the strange mutant girl, but it had been that way for so long that the girl wasn't bothered by it anymore.

She sat on the floor and pondered on why her father had chosen to visit now, of all times. He was almost always too busy with work to stop by and see his only child, and she didn't hold it against him. She was a freak in everyone's eyes, including her own. Why should he want to see her?

The ice had retracted and disappeared altogether, making the room look as though nothing had happened. The vase rolled on its side, luckily being empty.

The girls' hands had also stopped glowing, making her sigh in relief. Power was dangerous, but even more so when it was influenced purely on mood. If she was angry, things were bound to catch fire. If she was scared and wanted to hide, the shadows would shift and grow around her to keep her safe. Fear and guilt usually led to ice, and sadness made storm clouds form in the sky. Sometimes, she could directly control it. Sometimes not. A few weird ones happened too, but not often. She didn't know what any positive emotions made because she hadn't felt something good in a very long time.

Remembering her father's summons, she stood up and opened the door before walking through the halls to the great hall.

With a massive chandelier and neat potted plants, it looked as if everything might break. It was the room that made her nervous, since it was the room in the house where the most people were at. She was afraid of herself and her power, and the kind of consequences she would suffer if she lost control and hurt someone.

"Hello, (Y/n). It's good to see you." Her father said from across the room, his usual queue of bodyguards standing around him.

"It's good to see you, too, Father. May I ask for the reason of your sudden visit?" The girl says politely, her hands folded neatly in front of her. She was glad she was already dressed nicely, or else she would've been reprimanded by her father.

"Yes, but have a seat first." He commands, gesturing to one of the many chairs that sat at even intervals around the large mahogany table.

The girl sits down without hesitation, smoothing the wrinkles from her skirt before waiting patiently for her father to continue.

"I came to visit today to inform you that I plan to have you married to someone. We haven't decided on who you will marry, but he has to be highly qualified to keep you safe. I know this comes as a shock to you, but it has to be done. I have a great deal of enemies who would kill you to get to me. This will ensure your safety and mine, (Y/n). It's for the greater good." He tells the girl with a straight face.

A few sparks flew out from her (h/c) hair, electrocuting a nearby fork with a brief flash of lightning.

Everyone in the room took a few steps away from the small girl. The only man who stood unfazed was her father, who merely sighed and said something to one of his men.

The girl closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before opening them again. Sparks ceased to fly, and everything was back to how it should be. Everyone was still on edge though.

"I... I understand the importance of the situation and I wish to help in any way possible." The girl asked, her face set.

"I knew you wouldn't cause a scene. You're a lot smarter than you look, which will come in handy later. There's a few other things I will discuss with you, but later. We'll be going out." He says before leaving. The girl stands up and goes back to her room, a small amount of curiosity growing inside her.

When her father knocked on the door, she was ready for wherever they were going. A small silver heart necklace with a (f/c) gem in the center was the only jewelry she wore with the simple white dress. 

"You look lovely. Let's go." Her father said, motioning to his guard as the group walked outside.

It was already dark outside, but the tall lampposts were already illuminating the pathway to the parked black line of cars. One of the men held open the door for her and her father, closing it only after they were both inside.

"We're going to SHIELD headquarters, where I work. A few other people will be there as well, and they will all help. We have a few things we need to talk to you about." He adds, a hint of uncertainty in his tone. His daughter glances at him for a moment, noting his brief moment of nervousness. She nods and keeps quiet though.

She isn't sure what to say to him, since it's been a while since they've last seen each other. She decides to keep quiet and stare out the window instead.

The car stopped in front of a large building an hour later. The building was the Shield headquarters her father had vaguely talked about a few times.

It towered over everything, with reflective glass windows and a smooth steel frame. It made the girl feel so small and wonder how something could be so massive. It was unlike anything she had seen in her entire life and left her breathless for a few moments. She snapped out of it when her father began to walk towards the entrance with his guard.

She walked beside her father, keeping quiet and observing the people who all seemed to watch her and her father with growing curiosity. The group kept walking, though.

That is, until a tall blonde walked towards the group. 

"Hello Director Pierce." He said with a wide grin. The girls father stopped and smiled before shaking his hand.

"Hello Captain Rogers. It's good to see you're back in one piece from the mission." Pierce says with a grin. The man shook his hand before glancing at the girl with a curious expression.

"Oh! This is my daughter, (Y/n). (Y/n), this is Captain Rogers." Her father introduced the two, stepping aside to allow them to shake hands.

"Hello Captain Rogers. It's a pleasure to meet you." The girl says with a polite smile as she holds out her hand to him. He surprises her by taking it and kissing the back of her hand gently.

"I'm Steve. Steve Rogers. It's a pleasure to meet you too, (Y/n)." He says with a smile. The girl's cheeks flush slightly as he raises the back of her hand to his lips gently. 

"Well, we have a meeting to go to, so goodbye and good day, Captain." The stern director says before walking off. The girl glances back and briefly catches a glimpse of the Captain staring at her before they rounded a corner.

The maze of hallways stretches on, with each twist and turn confusing the girl even more. 'Working here must be a nightmare...' She thought to herself as they finally arrived at a dual glass door. Inside was a long table with chairs around it. A few people were inside, some sitting and some standing. 'Is one of these men my husband-to-be?' She asks herself, suddenly feeling nervous. A vase on a side table began to levitate. The girl subtly pushes it back down on the table and takes a few deep breaths.

One of the security guards holds open the door, nodding as the director and his daughter walked into the room.

The conversations all halt and all eyes are on the pair, more so the girl than the director.

"Please, have a seat." The director says to everyone, putting a hand on his daughters back and leading her to a chair. She sits down and carefully watches the room, trying to control the nervous feeling rising in her chest. She hadn't been around people like this in a while, and chose to stay silent.

"This is my daughter, (Y/n). She will be using her powers to benefit mankind, and has agreed to help in any way possible. Welcome to SHIELD, (Y/n)." Her father says with a smile as everyone applauds her. She smiles back with confidence, not fully aware if what is to come from this.

A new chapter of her life had just begun


	2. New Life, Old Habits, Same Person

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year has passed in the story. Sorry for the lack of updates (more on that at the end of the chapter). Everything is unedited and was also written a while back, so expect awful garbage (aka me).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next part! Hope you enjoy it, I've been trying to write as much as possible for this. For those who are also following my other works, I will also be updating A Caged Bird, my request book, and possibly Never Letting You Go along with this book, so keep an eye out!

A year had passed with little incident. Your father mostly had you training in a special area of the SHIELD headquarters or meeting new people. You hardly got to actually practice your powers on real people due to the sheer force and damage it caused.

Right now, you were in the training facility with one hand on fire and the other glowing purple. It was kind of fun to mix powers, once you got used to using them without letting them use you. You had come a long way since the days where things would break at your very touch without you even wanting them to. But even with the control you had, people still avoided you like the plague. 

“(Y/n)! I have someone who’s interested in fighting you for practice, since nobody else wants to.” Your father calls out from the elevator as he walks in with two other people. You realize it’s Captain Rogers and another man you’ve only met a few times in the past. What was his name? Brock? Something like that.

“Hello.” You say politely as you walk over. Which one would you be fighting? Nobody visited you in the training room unless they wanted to fight.

“You’ll be fighting Brock today while Captain Rogers and I observe you. And please refrain from using the more… extreme aspects of your powers, please.” Your father instructs you, gesturing to the man. So his name was Brock… It looks like you’d be fighting him. He was smaller than Captain Rogers, but still bigger than you by far. Even so, you’d have the upper hand due to the fact that you were quicker and smaller than him.

You get into a fighting stance and extinguish your hands. No point in burning him to death just to win.

The minute you start fighting, you realize just how skilled he is. The other agents you fought before seemed to hold back, and if they didn’t, they were still lacking in some skill or another that made you have the upper hand. He didn’t have any disadvantages or any weak points. He hit hard and didn’t hesitate to take any opening he got to hit you.

Even so, you refused to back down. You wanted to know just how well you could fight without using your powers to get the upper hand. It was a fair and straightforward fight with no tricks or distractions. And to be completely honest, you were having fun. It was a challenge for once, and it actually made you go all out just to land a good hit or two.

By the time you both backed away and got ready to go at it again, you realized you were smiling. Never in your entire time at SHIELD did someone present such a challenge to you, and never had anyone held back so little when fighting you head on. It was such a rush that when your father called for you two to stop, you were almost disappointed.

“That’s enough fighting for today. I want them to see your other talents.” You nod at your father’s command and step away from Brock before pulling out a few dummies and some other stuff.

You get back into a ready stance and set one hand on fire and let the other one freeze over. It was a nice combination that let you clear out large spaces easily without causing too much damage.

Alternating between fire and ice, you end up freezing and burning the dummies and obstacles with extreme precision. It had taken you a lot of time and practice to get this good, and even so, your father seemed unimpressed with your progress. And as soon as you finish, you look over to see that he’s still unimpressed.

“You’re going to go on your first mission tomorrow with Captain Rogers and the STRIKE team. I’ll have someone email you the details. Don’t be late. You’re dismissed.” Your father informs you in a clipped tone, catching you off guard for a few seconds. A mission? What kind? What was the task? Was it going to be easy?

You shove the questions to the back of your mind as you walk out. You’d find out all the answers when you got the e-mail. For now, you’d head back to your apartment and just wait for any updates on the mission.

“Hey (Y/n)! Mind if I walk with you?” A familiar voice calls out from behind you. You turn around to see Captain Rogers jogging towards you with a smile on his face. You two weren’t exactly super close or anything, but he was the closest thing you had to a friend here. And besides, he lived just a block or so away from your apartment, which meant he was always offering to give you a ride home. 

You just nod at his request and walk next to him, taking two steps for every stride he took. Being short sure did suck sometimes.

“Do you need a ride home?” He asks you like he usually does. It was strange, how nice he was to you. Then again, he had quite the reputation since he was literally a hero and saved lives as a job.

“Captain Rogers, why do you always offer me a ride home when I’m perfectly capable of driving myself?” You ask him, turning to glance at him out of the corner of your eye as you continued to walk down the hallway.

“Why do you keep calling me Captain Rogers even after I tell you to just call me Steve?” He fires back with a small smile.

“I don’t see the difference between calling you Steve and calling you Captain Rogers.” You answer in a bland tone, crossing your arms over your chest. You really didn’t know why he always insisted on you calling him Steve instead of Captain Rogers. He was technically a higher ranking agent at Shield and it would be somewhat disrespectful to call him Steve. Well, that was your take on it anyways.

“Well, we’re friends. And friends don’t have to act super professional around each other all the time. We are friends, right?” He asks you, slightly concerned. In a way, you were. But the topic was never really brought up between you two, so you never really thought about it until now.

“I guess we are. I don’t really have any friends to use as comparison, so I wouldn’t know.” You explain to him in an indifferent tone. He stops walking and turns to look at you with a deep frown.

“You don’t have any friends?” He asks you with concern apparent in his tone.

“Not really. Well, there’s you. And that’s about it.” You reply, confused as to why he was making this into such a big deal. You didn’t honestly see the problem, but apparently there was one. You just didn’t make friends. Was that such a big deal?

“Wow, okay. So, you don’t go out and do stuff a whole lot either?” He asks you another question with an even deeper frown. You shake your head no in response and wait for him to respond. What was the big deal with that? You were almost always busy with SHIELD work and training. Now that you really thought about it, you had no room for anything else. And there was nothing else to do with your time. 

“Well, whenever you’re not busy, we should go out and do something. Maybe grab some coffee or visit a museum or two?” He suggests with a slight shrug. Why not? You hadn’t really done that kind of thing before, and it seemed like a nice change. If you didn’t like it, you just wouldn’t do it again.

“Alright. I’ll call sometime to make plans. In the meantime, I’ve gotta get you home.” He tells you with a smile before restarting his walk to the garage.

Maybe change was good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EXPLANATION TIME
> 
> I haven't been able to update much of anything because my moms wedding happened, my phone broke and I got a new one, summer gym killed me, and Pokemon Go happened. Summer gym is Mondays through Fridays from 7:15 to 1:30 and I am dead.
> 
> I graduated. Yay.
> 
> I haven't gotten around to posting or writing. I do, however have a new phone (way better one) and this upcoming Monday is my last day of summer gym. I'll have about a month of time to do nothing, so expect more updates. More updates for this story (probably later today) so keep an eye out. 
> 
> Should I start a rant/update book? 
> 
> TL;DR : I'M BACK AND I BRING UPDATES FOR ALL AND A LOT OF REASONS WHY I WAS GONE BUT WHO CARES MAN


	3. Super Freaks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two updates back to back! I know this is like, the least popular story I have, but I love it and I also have updates for the request book and A Caged Bird planned. Anywho, maybe a third chapter will be on the way?

When you got home, it was already dark outside. Steve had offered to walk you to your room, but you politely declined (he was being nice enough already). The apartment complex looked a little shady, but you didn’t mind. It was your home and you liked the fact that it was practically invisible.   
When you stepped into your apartment, you could tell something was wrong. It felt… Off. Like someone had been here before you had. 

You brush aside the feeling and walk over to your laptop. If someone was here, you’d eventually find out. It’s not like you weren’t capable of handling yourself.

Still… The odd feeling of being watched stuck to you as you read through your e-mail. Nobody was watching you. You were just freaking out over nothing. It’s been a long day and you’re just tired. Right? 

You shake your head and click out of your e-mail. You’d just read the report later. Right now, all you really wanted was some sleep. With that thought in mind, you shut down the laptop and walk to your room. 

As soon as you got into your room to change, you realized how weird it would be to undress. If someone was watching you, you didn’t want to just change in front of them. But it’s not like you had much of a choice. And besides, why would anyone be actually watching you change?

By the time you climb into bed, the feeling of being watched had only somehow increased. It made falling asleep a nightmare, and left an uneasiness that wouldn’t go away.

\---

When morning came, you felt slightly better than last night. It no longer felt like you were being watched, which means you must’ve just been imagining things due to stress. It wasn’t like anyone would be watching you in the first place. And besides, it was a long day full of activity that just left you a little overworked, which caused you to imagine things and grow paranoid.

Once you were awake enough to actually get out of bed, you walked into the bathroom. The feeling of being watched came back again, but you quickly brushed it aside and got undressed. The shower was burning hot and helped you wake up a little better. It seemed to wash away your worries and make everything feel okay for once. 

What were you doing today? 

“Hm… Oh shit! The mission details!” You nearly trip over yourself as you run to the living room and dry your hands on a nearby dish towel. You still needed to read the report and get ready! When were you even supposed to be there? What should you wear? Oh you were so going to fail this mission.

You decide that wearing your professional mission clothes (or whatever they were called) would be best. You would have no time to change into them later, so you might as well just wear them to work and save yourself the hassle. 

With that thought in mind, you yank on all the necessary clothes and attempt to fix your hair. It just didn’t want to cooperate with you, causing your stress to increase.

Just as you’re lacing up your boots, a knock sounds through the nearly silent apartment and cuts your angered thoughts off.

“(Y/n)? It’s Steve. I was wondering if you needed a ride to work, and I uh, I broke my phone, so I couldn’t call and ask.” He tells you through the door in a slightly embarrassed tone. That was the first time you ever heard him say something like that. He was usually so careful with the small piece of technology. He was probably doing something on it and got surprised and dropped it. It happened to you a lot, unfortunately enough.

“Uh, sure!” You reply, walking over and opening the door for him. He smiles and waits as you grab your keys and phone before walking off.

\---

“(Y/n), there’s been a change of plans. A ship has been taken over and we need to get the hostages out ASAP. Your mission is going to have to wait.” The room goes dead silent as you close the door behind you. Apparently you weren’t going on a mission after all.

“What if we just take her with on this one instead?” All eyes turned to the captain, who looked as though he had just made a casual suggestion and not proposed something so far-fetched, they thought he was joking.

“Captain Rogers, this is my daughter. This mission is extremely important and dangerous and I’m not sending her with just so she can get hurt. She’s never been on a mission before and I highly doubt you’ll want to be dragging an amateur around on a hostage situation.” The last part irked you a bit, especially coming from your father’s mouth. You were by no means an amateur, and it’s not like you couldn’t handle yourself. Why was he suddenly being so overprotective? It’s not like he bothered to care about your well-being before. The whole situation rubbed you the wrong way and made you want to go on the mission, regardless of what your father thought you could and couldn’t handle.

“I can handle myself.” You cut in, drawing their attention to your irritated form. Your arms were crossed over your chest as you stood in a defensive stance. It would’ve looked intimidating, if it weren’t for the fact that you were at least an entire head shorter than the next shortest person in the room.

“I think we should let her, sir. She’s skilled enough to hold her own, and we could use the help.” Brock cuts in, glancing at the director. Everyone waits for him to say something. To be honest, you’d probably go with anyways. It’s not like he could stop you. Now that you thought about it, there wasn’t a whole lot of people who could do anything to you, much less stop you from doing something. Man, that’s crazy to think about.

“Fine. But I want her back in one piece.” He warns the captain, making you sigh and uncross your arms. You’d be fine. You were careful, and to be completely honest, you were practically a superhero. Well, more like a super freak, but it was close enough.


	4. Left In The Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of plot-heavy drama. Romantic interests are set aside for the greater good, and apparently no one will tell you what on Earth is going on.
> 
> (I finally get to update the tags for this book! Three cheers for me finally getting my act together and writing this!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know Batman V Superman was a train wreck in the eyes of many, but would anyone be interested in a short Superman X Reader fic? I saw the Man of Steel movie and Batman V Superman and I honestly just want to try and write something on the side that isn't Marvel and I haven't seen enough short Superman fics. Do people just not like him enough or is the romance between him and Lois just too good to break?

By the time the plane got close to the boat, it was already dark outside. Everyone was putting on parachutes, except for Captain Rogers. Wait, how on Earth do you even put these things on?

“Need some help there?” A friendly female voice asks you, causing you to turn around and nod. The redhead before you looked vaguely familiar, but you never got the chance to actually talk to her. She was just so… Scary. But still classy.

“Here. This is how you put it on.” She shows you how to properly attach the parachute. You thank her and watch as she waves and walks over to Captain Rogers. Looks like they’re friends. Too bad you had nobody to talk to.

Just as you’re about to walk over, the doors open and everyone starts getting ready to jump. So much for making new friends… Though they looked like they were having a decent conversation. You wouldn’t want to interrupt.

“You okay with this? You can always sit this one out, you know.” You almost glare at Brock as he watches you cautiously.

“We both know I’m not sitting this one out unless I’m dead or close to it.” You reply as you adjust the straps of your parachute. He smirks and picks up a gun. 

“Alright. Don’t mess up, okay? Director Pierce would lose it.” He says in a somewhat gentle tone, the smirk gone. You didn’t need him to play babysitter while you were away from your father, but you didn’t think he was being concerned on your father’s behalf. You decide to stay quiet at that comment and instead focus on the building purple fire in your hands. You didn’t need his concern, and you didn’t need a gun either. You could do this without messing up. 

The minute you land, you’re instructed to wait in a hallway near the room that had the hostages in it. Your job was getting them out and away from the gunfire and back onto a waiting helicopter. Seemed easy enough.

Over the radio, you could hear whispered orders and a few muffled footsteps. By the time the gunfire began, you didn’t need to listen to your radio to hear it. You were already picking the lock on the door when Brock gave you the cue. All the people who were deemed threatening had already gotten a bullet through the head. Now came the fun part…

Getting the hostages out of the room and untied was fairly easy. You actually knew a few of the hostages, and tried to explain to them as best as you could where to go and what to do if anyone started shooting at you.

You led them through the hallways and out onto the main deck. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. That is, until someone began to shoot at your group. 

Everyone hit the deck and began to panic slightly. You turn towards the shooter and summon as much water as you could from the sea and began to freeze it, forming a protective wall separating the shooter from the group of people. 

Just as you made a move to shoot ice at the man, a searing pain erupted in your side and caused you to fall to your knees. You sweep an arm out and knock him overboard just as you collapse and attempt to stop the blood pouring from the wound. He shot you, but luckily it missed your vital organs. It still hurt really bad.

“Shit. Get the helicopter ready, we need to move now!” A strong pair of arms picked you up and caused you to groan out loud. They were carrying you, but each footstep caused a new wave of pain to wash over your lower half. Jesus Christ you felt lightheaded.

“Oh God, you’re still awake. Can you hear me? (Y/n), stay with me.” A hand bumped against the side of your face. Everything seemed way too blurry around the edges, but you managed to keep your eyes open. 

“Hand me the first aid kit.”

“Christ, that’s a lot of blood.”

“She gonna be alright?”

With those final words and different voices swirling around your head, you let your eyes close. Just for a few minutes…

“(Y/n)... (Y/n)!”

Your eyes flew open, the pain and blood loss all hitting you the minute you woke up. You were still laying on what appeared to be the helicopter’s seats. How much time had passed?

Apparently not much, seeing as you were still bleeding a lot.

The faces of Captain Rogers, Brock, and a few others were all looking down at you. Well, they were paying more attention to the bullet wound than your face. You attempt to sit up to look at the wound, but end up falling back to your original position.

“Hey. Be careful, alright? You were just shot, take it easy. Will somebody get me the first aid kit, please?” With a sigh, you nod weakly at the Captain’s words. You turn to see him pulling out the kit along with some gauze and scissors.

“Kid, what did I tell you? God, Pierce is gonna be pissed.” Brock mutters under his breath as he takes a seat next to you and grabs your hand. You roll your eyes and nearly scream when the scissors go in. You wished the bullet had gone all the way through.

“Are the hostages okay?” You ask between labored breaths as you grip his hand tightly. He seems a bit surprised by your question, but looks around at all the people.

“Yeah, they’re fine. Are you alright?” He asks you with genuine concern on his face. He reaches out a hand to brush aside some hair from your face, but pulls it back at the last minute. He was probably worried about what your father would do once he heard the news.

“Yeah. That guy was a lousy shot anyways.” You tell him in a casual tone as gauze are pressed to your wound. You wince at the pressure and look up at the ceiling with dazed eyes. Everything was spinning…

“I’m just gonna…” You didn’t get to finish the rest of your sentence, since everything had gone dark around you. Man, this sucked…

By the time you woke up again, you were in a different room entirely. Was this your apartment?

“Hello-oh fuck that still hurts.” You press a hand to the gauze-covered wound and exhale sharply. 

“You’re awake.” A voice calls out from beside you, causing you to jump and turn towards the source. What the hell was Brock doing here? And why did he look so serious?

“What are you doing in my house? And how long have I been out for?” You ask him with a startled expression. He looks at his phone and sighs.

“A few hours. I’m here to make sure you’re okay. I’ve got to bring you to SHIELD for just a few things, then I’ll take you back home, okay? Here, let me help you up.” He moves to help you, being careful of the bandaged wound. 

Realizing that the pace would be far too slow, Brock scooped you up and carried you outside.

“I could’ve walked, you know.” You tell him in a slightly irritated tone. This was humiliating, and also just a tad bit unnecessary. What was he trying to prove? That you were an incapable child? You were already going to get yelled at for getting shot, and you’d probably be restricted from going on missions for the rest of your life. Yeah, today was gonna be great.

“It would’ve taken all day. We’re kind of in a hurry, you know. It’s not like you’re heavy or anything.” He says in an impatient tone as he sets you down in the passenger seat of a black car. Typical SHIELD ride. The windows were even tinted.

“I can buckle my own seatbelt.” You say in annoyance as you swat away his hand. What were you, five?

“So… How you feeling?” He asks you as he starts up the car and begins to drive. You roll your eyes and press a hand to your stomach.

“Like I was shot.” You say in a slightly bitter tone, leaning against the door to look out the window. Everything was passing by so quickly. The world was a blur, and people with cars passed you in a blink of an eye. You wished you could melt into the normal world and just live a boring life, but that’s not how it worked.

You sat up as the car began to slow down. People were rushing around in a panicked frenzy as the sound of gunfire rang out through the chaos. What the hell was going on?

You look out the window and stare as a dark figure with a gun stands near a smoking wreckage of an upside down car. He’s dressed in all black and seems to watch with cold eyes as you drive by. It looks as though he’s staring right at you, though it’s hard to tell through all the smoke. 

A glint of silver metal near his left hand catches your eye. Was that a metal hand?

“Brock? Who the hell is that and what the hell is going on?” You ask in a shaky tone as you look more closely at the black car. It looked familiar, like the heavily-armored SHIELD cars. Something was very wrong here.

Brock swore as he maneuvered the car around panicking people and abandoned vehicles. He places a hand on your shoulder and pulls you away from the window just as the mysterious man glares at you and vanishes into the smoke and chaos.

“Don’t lean near the window like that. You could get hurt.” He responds in a semi distracted tone, keeping his eyes on the road. Didn’t he just see the man?

You sigh slightly and lean back into the seat. You’d ask about the man later. For now, all you had to worry about was your father’s anger.

\---

When you arrived at SHIELD, you knew something was off. The agents around you seemed tense, and Brock refused to say a word to you. Something was definitely wrong here.

“Please, have a seat. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about a particular topic for a while now, and now is as good of a time as any.” Your father says the minute you step into his office. The windows are tinted and the room is relatively empty of people, with the exception of you and your father.

You cautiously take a seat across from him and watch as he gestures for Brock to close the door. Once it’s shut and the three of you are alone, he begins to speak, which was a good thing since you were just a few more seconds of silence away from blurting out a hundred questions at once.

“The first time I brought you into that lab, I had an idea. A hope, really. That you would become the world’s next hero. A symbol of order to look up to. Obviously it didn’t go so well in the beginning, but you’ve come far. People see you as a hero already. You risked your life to save other people, and now they have a sense of trust when they think of you. And it won’t end there. You are one of the most loyal agents I have, and you know what’s best and what has to be done. You can help guide mankind down a path it needs to take. We just need you to take the first steps.”

“I… I don’t understand. You’re already helping and so are all the people who work for SHIELD-”

“SHIELD is nothing but a cover. A lie fed to the public. No, the real hero isn’t SHIELD. It’s HYDRA. I’m their leader, and you’ll eventually take my place one day. You can help us step out of the shadows and help humanity. You just need to help make the last few pushes.” The room goes dead silent as you process his words. So SHIELD isn’t really good? And you were only here to help him? Going through hell in that lab was all for HYDRA? And what even is HYDRA?

You stand up and take a step back as the dizzying reality sets in. A set of firm hands keep you standing as you try to control the power that’s threatening to freeze half the room.

“I need to go home. To think about all of this.” You say quietly in a voice that was far steadier than you really felt.

“Tell me an answer soon. I’ll have Brock escort you home.” Your father replies in a calm and somewhat indifferent tone. You nod, knowing that there would be no way around his commands. They were his orders, and you had no choice but to obey and do as he said.

The short walk and even shorter drive was silent, only interrupted by the radio’s constant stream of music and news reports. It was already dark outside. Hopefully you’d be able to go to bed when you got home, but with everything going on, sleep seemed unlikely.

“Hey, uh, call me if you need anything or if anything happens, okay?” Brock tells you as he passes you a slip of paper with his number written on it. You nod numbly and shove it in your pocket before muttering a quick goodbye. He hesitates, his eyes flickering to the side as he shoves his hands in his pockets and walks away. Weird.

You close the door and walk through your dark apartment. Today was a fucking disaster with way too many twists and surprises. At least now you could relax.

A glint of silver metal catches your eye as you move past the living room. What the hell was that?

A hand subconsciously reaches for the lightswitch.

"Don’t." A somewhat muffled voice growls in a language you haven't heard in a while. It's so familiar that you almost ignore the inyy it smoothly translates to English in your mind.

The strangers eyes seem to glow an icy blue in the almost pitch black room. The only source of light comes from the open window. You don't remember opening the window before you left.

The metal hand, the cold blue eyes. Wait a minute.

"You're the man from the car crash." You vaguely mutter under your breath, taking a step back. The cold metal of your bracelet presses against your skin and brings you to the sudden realization that you can't use your powers. If he tries to kill you, you'd have no reasonable way of stopping him. Your fighting skills are good, but it's your powers that give you the upper hand.

"Fuck." You whisper just as your phone begins to ring. The national anthem blares from your phone as you carefully and slowly pull the phone out of your pocket. The mysterious man doesn't make any movement to stop you, so you answer the phone. There's only one person in your phone that has a patriotic ringtone.

"Steve?" You ask, trying to keep a casual tone. The man is close enough to hear both sides of the conversation, so there's no real point in trying to signal for help.

"(Y/n), Fury's been shot. I'm at the hospital now with Natasha. The shooter got away, it was some guy with long hair and a metal arm." You go pale as you stare at the man before you.

"I-I gotta go. Be careful, and call me if anything happens, okay?" You barely register what Steve is saying at this point, since panic and a dull shock has flooded the rest of your senses.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay. I will. Bye." Finally snapping out of your daze enough to answer him, you hang up as soon as you say goodbye. The man still doesn't move, so you turn to walk into the kitchen. A few muffled footsteps behind you cause you to turn back around, only to find the room empty. It seems the man has left, though you can't be sure.

\---

After a few hours of laying down and trying to sleep, your phone rings. You aren't sure what time it is, but the sun has already risen. 

"Hello?" You say cautiously, unsure as to who would be calling you.

"(Y/n), it's Brock." He sounds out of breath and slightly angry. Why the hell would he be calling you?

"Brock? What the hell is going on-"

"Captain Rogers is a fugitive. He's on the run now. If you see him, call me. Stay at your house and don't do anything stupid. I'll come by later to check on you." With those final words, he hung up and left you feeling more confused and stupid than before. Steve was a fugitive? What did he do? And is anyone going to tell you what the fuck is going on?

More importantly, why was everyone leaving you in the dark?

\---

After the call, you tried to pass the time by pacing your apartment and checking on your bullet wound. Luckily they left a bottle of pain meds on your bedside table, so all the pacing and nervousness didn't hurt. You just wished you knew what the hell was going on.

A light knock on your living room window startles you slightly. Who was at your window and not the door?

You draw back the curtains and open the window before looking around to see who knocked.

You gasp and step away from the window.

"Get inside before someone sees you." You urge as two people climb in through the open window.

"Thank you." Steve breathes out as he climbs inside first. The woman who follows him is the same one from the mission. She's the one who helped you put on your parachute. Her name is Natasha, right?

"Of all the places in D.C, this is the one we should avoid the most." The redhead mutters under her breath as she climbs in afterwards. 

"She's got a point. What are you even doing here?" You ask them, directing the question more towards Steve. He's America's most wanted superhero.

"I didn't know where else we should go. And we can't go home." Steve explains nervously, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. You shake your head and turn to head towards the spare bedroom.

"I can give you guys some different clothes and money, but that's about it. You can't stay here." You say in a low tone as you begin to pull out some random clothes from your dresser. You hand them a variety of hats and glasses to help as well.

"I-" A knock on the front door cuts you off and almost immediately sends you panicking. You wave for the duo to hide (which they do) as you try to act casual. With a sigh, you shakily step forward and open the door. 

"Hey, kid." Brick greets you casually with a slight smile. He has a few new bruises and he carries himself in a way that tells you he has a few bruises underneath his shirt as well. His smile vanishes when he sees how nervous you are, despite your best efforts to hide it.

"H-hey, Brock." You stutter out with a small smile. You can almost hear Natasha groan in frustration at your poor attempt to act casual.

"What's wrong?" He asks you as he uncrosses his arms. One of his hands reaches out to touch your shoulder, but suddenly stops as a suspicious expression grows on his face. He glances past you and stares at the open living room window for a few seconds.

"Is there someone else here?" He murmurs, leaning in so that you can hear him. You shake your head 'no' as your nervousness mounts. Your breathing increases as the panic and fear begins to reach an unbearable point.

"Then what's wr-" You panic and find yourself doing the only thing you can think of doing, which incidentally happens to be kissing him abruptly.

It would explain your nervousness and odd behavior in Brock's eyes while also preventing him from asking any more questions.

You pull back slowly and watch for any signs of anger or shock. His eyes are a bit wider than usual, but he stays quiet and gives no sign of being angry or surprised. In fact, nothing seems to have changed. 

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have done that." You stutter out as you stare off to the side. Your cheeks are a little pink, but you're glad he's distracted. 

"No, no, y-you… Christ, (Y/n)." Brock whispers under his breath with a mix of confusion and sorrow in his voice. He sounds utterly lost, which is completely new for you. His hands rest gently on your shoulders and tug you close to him, pulling you into an unexpected hug. 

You lean into it and try to relax as the unfamiliar sensation of being held is fully registered in your mind. He smells like gunpowder and aftershave, and he's pleasantly warm. You feel safe, despite everything going on around you. It's wrong, since the man that's holding you is the same man that’s hunting Steve down, but you just can't help it.

He slowly pulls away enough to look at you, his eyes full of something you have never seen before. And just as you begin to think of what might happen next, he leans down and presses a surprisingly soft kiss to your lips. It's quick, but sweet in just the right way.

"I gotta head back to SHIELD Headquarters in case we get new Intel on Rogers's whereabouts. I'll call you if we get any news, okay?" He says before pressing a quick kiss to your forehead. You nod and smile at him as he's backing away to leave.

"Stay safe." You tell him as you rest a hand on the wooden doorframe. It's stupid to tell him to stay safe when his job revolves around danger, but you can't help it.

"You, too." He replies with a smile before turning and leaving. He's still smiling, even after he gets on the elevator and watches the metal doors slide shut.

As soon as the doors shut, you scurry into your apartment and lock the door behind you. The weight of the world seems to crush you down and cause you to slide down until you're sitting with your knees bent and your back to the door.

"You can come out now." You tell the duo in a heavy voice as shame floods you. What the fuck did you do? 

You rest your forehead on your hands and try to resist the urge to scream or cry. You're not angry at Brock. You're angry at yourself for doing what you did, and you're even angrier at yourself for manipulating him like that. It was so easy… 

"(Y/n), you did what you had to do.” Natasha tells you quietly with the smallest amount of gratefulness in her voice. You know she's right, but that doesn't make you feel any less guilty than before.

“Just go, before they manage to track you down to here.” You tell them quietly, refusing to look them in the eye. Steve is awfully quiet, but after a few seconds of standing around, they finally leave through the open living room window.

 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests for my Marvel Request Book are still open, and I'm working on them as you read this now. I have a lot, so be prepared for a somewhat small flood.

**Author's Note:**

> As you can see, I don't have any romantic interests established yet. Please comment down below with who you would like to see paired with the reader! Whichever character is the most popular is the one I'll go with. If I only get one comment or nothing, I'll just go with what I want I suppose.


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